August 5, 2023 - First Visit Now that I've satisfied my hunger, it's time for Hanachan's ice cream break! I stopped by Nayoro Michi-no-Eki to buy some ice cream if they have it. And here I am! Michi-no-Eki Mochigome no Sato☆Nayoro - Local Products Sales Corner. As soon as you enter the Michi-no-Eki, you'll see a shop selling a variety of daifuku (rice cakes filled with sweet bean paste). My wife got excited and started buying for her parents, her family, and more (laughs). After her shopping was done, it was time to get the ice cream. You can also buy light meals, and they even have soft-serve ice cream! I asked for a cup, and... it was a bit too much, I think (laughs). It felt like it had twice the amount of a regular cup of soft-serve. And it's only 350 yen, which is a great deal. I tasted it in the car. The flavor was actually pretty good. It had a refreshing taste and was enjoyable. But since I shouldn't feed too much to Hanachan, I ate half of it before passing it on. Today, like taking revenge on her parents, Hanachan licked it clean (laughs). Watching her enjoy it made me happy too (^^♪ It was delicious! Thank you for the meal♪

On our way traveling north, we stopped by Nayoro Michi-no-Eki for a break and bought their specialty "Soft Daifuku". The Soft Daifuku has been popular since the opening of this Michi-no-Eki, and now they offer a wide variety of flavors. We were spoiled for choice, but my wife and I carefully selected six different flavors to try. The mochi was so soft that it stuck to our fingers, and the filling was generously packed, making it a delicious treat. At just 162 yen per piece, it's definitely a must-try when you visit this Michi-no-Eki.

Day trip station hopping. The Michi-no-Eki Nayoromochi Komenosato is famous for its daifuku. What I tried there was the menchi katsu, surprisingly delicious! Everyone seems to love daifuku. While others were buying rice cakes in bulk, I decided to have the menchi katsu as a snack. Despite usually not paying attention to convenience store hot snacks, the menchi katsu here looked tempting. Priced at 160 yen, it was a good deal. In Nayoro's Michi-no-Eki, when you hold the menchi katsu, you feel its weight. And they give you the Otafuku mark sauce. Menchi with sauce!? Not like a croquette!? But after taking a bite, it all made sense. The meat was substantial but the seasoning was mild. The crispy coating was just right. The weight was surprising. Adding the sauce was perfect. The menchi was solid. Although no one else paid attention to the hot corner, the quality was unexpectedly high. They also sell a "surimi croquette" made with mochi for 110 yen. When I visit a place, I like to try the local specialties. In Nayoro, it's mochi, but I'm not a big fan of mochi. So, I recommend this to those who are not fond of rice cakes like me. The Michi-no-Eki Nayoro surprisingly serves delicious fried food! However, the menchi here is quite heavy, so sharing it might be a good idea.

Located in the northern part of Hokkaido, Nayoro is known for being the top producer of mochi rice in Japan. Surprisingly, I didn't associate Hokkaido with mochi, so it was unexpected. The roadside station, true to its name as the land of mochi rice, offers a wide variety of daifuku. I wanted to try them all, but my stomach capacity wouldn't allow it, so I carefully selected one. I personally like yomogi, so I chose the yomogi daifuku! It was extremely soft and chewy, with a natural sweetness in the mochi itself. The filling wasn't too sweet, which was good. I would like to try various types next time. Thank you for the meal.

This is a roadside station in Nayoro. They sell a lot of Nayoro's specialty soft daifuku. There are many different flavors of soft daifuku, making it fun just to look at. In addition to soft daifuku, they also have strawberry daifuku, cheesecake, Nayoro pudding, and various other sweets. Everything was delicious.

On the third day of my business trip to Hokkaido in April 2022, my excitement was high as I visited Nayoro for the first time in three years. With some extra time before my scheduled activities, I decided to introduce Nayoro to my companion who was also visiting for the first time. Nayoro is known as the town of glutinous rice, but hey, they sell my favorite soft serve ice cream here. I tried the custard choux for 150 yen at the eat-in area before lunch. The choux pastry was really crispy, and the custard inside was smooth and mild. I was surprised to find such high-quality choux cream at a roadside station, and I learned that they feature products from famous Nayoro shops on a rotating basis. Luckily, that day they were offering treats from a shop I was familiar with, Brazil. It was delicious even without any preconceptions. I also purchased some monk garlic, which may not have a deep connection to Nayoro, but Hokkaido monk garlic has a reputation for being tasty. I thought it would go well with cucumbers, but it turned out to be a great snack with alcohol.

Whenever I come here, I always end up succumbing to the temptation of daifuku (rice cakes filled with sweet bean paste) without fail. They are delicious and there are so many different varieties, it's hard not to enjoy them. The normal daifuku with sweet bean paste is tasty, but I tried the lemon and melon flavors which were both amazing!

Soft serve ice cream for 350 yen, packed generously in a cup, great value! It's a farm-style soft serve, but the texture is more like fresh cream than icy. You can taste a sweetness like white chocolate and a richness. It was delicious!

I had some business to attend to in Nayoro. I thought if I left at 8 o'clock, I would arrive around 10:30 on the highway. However, the arrival was significantly delayed as the cruising speed was exactly the speed limit. After finishing my business in Nayoro, I realized it was already noon. I planned to go back to Shibetsu to eat ramen. I stopped at a roadside station to use the restroom and also bought a souvenir for my partner. Oh, I shouldn't forget to buy one for my older daughter too, or there will be discord at home. I bought enough for everyone. Oh, Nayoro is known for its glutinous rice, right? Or is this Wind Town? Oh, I see, it merged with Nayoro City. Oh, they have strawberry daifuku. I remember my partner being against strawberry daifuku. I think they've never tried it. They believe that strawberries and daifuku should be eaten separately! In essence, they have a conservative attitude towards food. Oh, they have red and white, grass and milk flavors. I'll buy all four types. The one I got was milk strawberry daifuku. It has a smooth and mellow taste. Since my partner doesn't eat strawberry daifuku, I don't eat much either. Maybe they prefer sour strawberries for daifuku. Oh, like how strawberry shortcake has sour strawberries. My partner's feedback on the strawberry daifuku was, "It's better to keep them separate." Next time I go to Nayoro, I'll try something different.

Roadside Station "Nayoro Mochi Rice Village" Specialty Product Sales Corner ■ 2020/9 The specialty product sales corner located inside the roadside station "Nayoro Mochi Rice Village," as well as the attached farm produce direct sales store, operates from 9:00 to 16:45. Nayoro City has the highest production of mochi rice in Japan, and specialty products made with mochi rice are sold here. There is a large section dedicated to soft daifuku, with various types available. The main soft daifuku varieties include: Ohagi 129 yen, Milk 162 yen, Grape 162 yen, Pumpkin 162 yen, Coffee 162 yen, Cheese 162 yen, Basque Cup 162 yen, Shiso 162 yen, Melon 162 yen, Chocolate 162 yen, Sesame 162 yen, Red (white bean paste) 162 yen, White (smooth bean paste) 162 yen, Yomogi 162 yen, Tochi Otome 162 yen, Red peas 162 yen, Butter Corn 162 yen, Green peas 162 yen, Brown rice 162 yen, Strawberry Daifuku 260 yen. Many tourists line up to purchase these. I bought the most popular soft strawberry daifuku. Additionally, the farm produce direct sales store opened on May 29, 2020. They sell locally grown vegetables such as green asparagus, bamboo shoots, udo, warabi, mountain wasabi, pumpkin, potatoes, and corn. Unlike typical roadside station sales points that target tourists, this one seems to have a lot of local customers. I also bought boiled corn for 200 yen (Gold Rush 150 yen, boiling fee 50 yen). I enjoyed the soft strawberry daifuku inside my car parked in the on-site parking lot. It is a daifuku made with Nayoro's famous mochi rice "Hakuchou Mochi," containing a fresh strawberry and white bean paste. The boiled corn was delicious as well. It was a fine corn, likely boiled Gold Rush corn known for its refreshing sweetness, very tender skin, and large juicy kernels. The tender skin can be eaten raw. It was sweet and very tasty.

When I went to Nayoro Michi no Eki, it was extremely crowded. Maybe because of Obon season, cars were lining up. I checked the prices at the produce section and they were surprisingly high. The watermelon "Beni Makura" was over 2000 yen, and the corn was 250 yen per ear. Is this place completely geared towards tourists? It seems like only locals are actually coming to buy. Nevertheless, I bought some strawberry daifuku and dango, and ended up getting the watermelon "Beni Makura" too. The strawberry daifuku doesn't mention it, but it's mainly filled with white bean paste, which was not well-received. The watermelon "Beni Makura" was sweet, justifying its price.

When taking a break and stopping by the Nayoro Michi-no-Eki, you will find a wide variety of daifuku (Japanese rice cake filled with sweet filling) for sale. The display of daifuku here is quite impressive, and it's hard to resist making a purchase. Since there are so many types, it's impossible to try them all. This area is known for its production of mochi rice, but they also seem to produce strawberries, so I decided to buy a strawberry daifuku. However, I personally prefer bean daifuku, so I couldn't resist and ended up buying both (oops). Well, since we still have about 200km to go on our journey, I think it's okay. After purchasing, I enjoyed them at the Bibuka Michi-no-Eki on the way from Nayoro to Wakkanai. We still have a long way to go before reaching Wakkanai, even though we're only about 30km out of Nayoro... Anyway, I first tried the strawberry daifuku. The strawberries are quite large, with a nice touch of acidity that really stands out. It's delicious, but the presence of the daifuku itself is somewhat overshadowed. Next, I tried the bean daifuku. The salty beans add a nice flavor to it. The mochi itself is reasonably tasty, and surprisingly satisfying to eat. This time, I went with the classic choices, but I would like to try Hokkaido specialties like cheese, milk, or butter corn daifuku if I get the chance.

On the second day of the family trip in Hokkaido, we departed from Asahikawa, passed through Hamatonbetsu where my wife's best friend lives, and headed to our accommodation in Omu near Monbetsu. It was quite a long journey, considering our son's fatigue, we actually wanted to stay in Hamatonbetsu. However, my wife's friend, full of local pride, suggested, "Instead of staying in Hamatonbetsu, you should go further north to Wakkanai or south to Monbetsu." So, we decided to stay at a hot spring hotel in Omu town near Monbetsu. That's why we ended up at "Michi-no-Eki Mochi Gome no Sato Nayoro." Even though it is called Nayoro, it is actually located in the former Fuuren town. We stopped by for a break on our way to Hamatonbetsu. Unfortunately, it was raining that day. The sky looked like it was about to start singing Yashiro Aki's song any moment. Since we visited this place, we couldn't leave without trying their soft Daifuku! The white (sweet bean paste) one costs 151 yen. The mochi's fluffy and elastic texture, rich flavor, smooth sweetness of the sweet bean paste, everything is top-notch. The Daifuku here is really delicious!

I visited the Michi-no-Eki in Nayoro for the first time in August 2019! It is a big and beautiful building, isn't it? Now, I am browsing around the food counter. I am curious about the fried mochi, but I will resist as I plan to eat something else later. They had about 15 varieties of self-serve daifuku. The sign says "Do not touch with bare hands" in Japanese, but there are still some Japanese people who touch them with their bare hands! I tried the strawberry milk daifuku for 250 yen, which had juicy strawberries and a perfect sweetness of milk bean paste. I also tried the brown rice daifuku for 151 yen, which had a nice brown rice skin texture and a hint of butter flavor in the bean paste. Lastly, I tried the grape daifuku for 151 yen, which had a Niagara grape aroma and tasted just like grapes! The soft daifuku mochi was incredibly delicious. Thank you for the meal!

My brother-in-law said that it's impossible to find sake made from rice produced in Nayoro in Sapporo, but when I mentioned it, I found it. This Green Hill Brewery from Kamikawa, which was started in Kamikawa-cho in 2017, after relocating a dormant brewery license from Mie Prefecture. This sake is made from Nayoro's Comet rice, with a polishing ratio of 60%. When you drink it, it has a fresh new sake feel. It is said that if you let it age, it will become a "sake for drinking," so I might buy some more to keep.

In Sapporo, they often sell Windmill Mochi, which I eat a lot, so I didn't buy it because I was full, but I wonder if the authentic one is different? While thinking about that, what I bought was Asparagus Ramen and Asparagus noodles because asparagus is a specialty. The noodles are green... haha, I couldn't help but be drawn to this kind of local specialty. I also bought some homemade-looking bagels (*´`). It's nice to be able to buy these kinds of things at a roadside station. There were a lot of things that caught my eye and it was great! There was also something like Nayoro Okaki, and Sunflower Oil seems to be famous too. I was indecisive about what to buy. There were many flowers displayed outside the station. There were a lot of people touring on motorcycles. It's also a pleasure of traveling to stop by casually!

Nayoro is a town located between Asahikawa and Wakkanai, known for its specialty products of mochi rice and asparagus. It is said that the famous Akafuku mochi uses mochi rice from Nayoro. I bought a large daifuku at the roadside station, choosing both red bean paste and milk paste. It was a last-minute visit, with the lights about to go out and the glow of fireflies. Other customers were also there for the daifuku. One elderly man said, "If they're sold out of red bean daifuku, I don't want any." Well, are red bean daifuku really that delicious? The red bean paste was subtly sweet, and I tried the milk paste for the first time, which I really enjoyed. It reminded me of the filling in Mamadoru, a famous local snack. The mochi was starting to get a bit hard near closing time, but I'm sure it's irresistible when freshly made.

On the way back from Sarufutsu Park, I stopped by the Michinoku no Sato Nayoro local products sales corner at the Michi no Eki. This place is known for its mochi rice, and their specialty is daifuku! They have a variety of daifuku for sale. This time, I bought the "strawberry daifuku" (250 yen for 4 pieces). The strawberries are sweet and sour, so delicious! The combination of the sweetness of the daifuku and the strawberries is excellent, and I really love the daifuku here.

Michi-no-Eki Nayoro is known as the land of mochi rice. I had visited this place several times before starting my food blog. Nayoro is a town famous for its high-quality mochi rice, which is used in popular products like Yukimi Daifuku and Ise's Akafuku. It was a bit of a shock to learn that even Akafuku uses mochi rice from Nayoro, as I always associated it with Ise. At Michi-no-Eki Nayoro, you can buy strawberry daifuku and soft daifuku in various flavors. I can never decide which flavor to choose because they all look so delicious. I bought some pre-thawed soft daifuku for a snack in the car. They were so chewy and tasty, with just the right amount of sweetness. I've tried many flavors before, like kimchi and cheese, and they were all fantastic. I once bought a bunch as souvenirs, and they were well-received. I highly recommend these snacks from Michi-no-Eki Nayoro.

Whenever I go north, I always end up stopping by here. They always have a wide variety of options, and I always struggle to decide what to get, so I end up buying too much. But I know the portion size of each item, so I resist getting more than two. There are always other things I want to eat (sigh). This time, I got a chocolate pastry for 140 yen and a mugwort strawberry daifuku for 240 yen. The daifuku had a chewy texture with plenty of sweet bean paste, it was absolutely delicious.